I love cauliflower. What’s more, I love it the most cooked…in all its stinky glory. So, when I stumbled upon this recipe on Beverly Lynn Bennett website I knew I needed to stop by the store on my way home from work for the biggest head of cauliflower I could find. (I also picked up a pound of green beans to whip up another round of my favorite feisty green beans.)
It turned out fantastic. The dill, parsley, nutmeg, and paprika compliment each extremely well and add depth to the creamy cauliflower. I strongly suggest you put this on your fall menu rotation. You’ll welcome its warm, comforting creaminess once the crisp air starts moving in….
(And remember, if you’re not vegan you can just use regular dairy milk and dairy sour cream!)
Hungarian Cauliflower Bake
from The Vegan Chef
Ingredients -
- 8 cups cauliflower, cut into florets (1 very large head)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 cup non-dairy milk of choice
- 1 cup non-dairy sour cream
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped dill
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- Hungarian paprika for garnishing
Directions –
1. Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Steam cauliflower for 5-10 minutes until it is slightly less done than you prefer it to be. (It will soften a bit more baking in the oven.) Spread cauliflower evenly into prepared pan and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, whisk together the oil and flour until it forms a smooth paste. Whisk in non-dairy milk and cook over low heat. Stir continuously until thickened, 5-8 minutes.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in sour cream, parsley, dill, nutritional yeast, salt pepper, and nutmeg. Pour the mixture evenly over cauliflower and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the sauce. Generously garnish with paprika. (I put a lot and think it could even use more next time…)
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the top of the casserole is golden brown.
I love a good thai peanut sauce and was thrilled when I discovered how easy it is to make one at home. I chose to use pre-made red curry paste, but you can find multiple recipes for making your own paste. Using pre-made paste makes the prep time on this sauce less than 5 minutes….and isn’t that always a good thing?
Easiest Thai Peanut Sauce
adapted from 101cookbooks.com
Ingredients –
- 1/3 c peanut butter (natural – smooth or chunky)
- 2 tsp red curry paste (like Thai Kitchen’s
)
- 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
- Pinch of salt
- 6-8 tbsp hot water
Directions –
1. Mashing the curry paste into the peanut butter with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the lemon/lime juice and salt.
2. Then whisk in the hot water one tablespoon at a time until you have a pourable dressing that is about as thick as a heavy cream, or just slightly thinner than your desired consistency, as it will thicken as it cools.
3. Pour over dish = I used udon noodles, broccoli, carrots, black beans, and dried-fried tofu!
Israeli Couscous is a small, round semolina pasta that should not be confused with the tiny, yellow North African couscous; it is a different animal altogether! Sometimes called pearl couscous or maftoul, it resembles barley, or very small, white peas.
After being shaped and rolled into small balls, these semolina pearls are toasted in an open-flame oven. This distinguishes the couscous from most pasta, which is dried but not toasted. Toasting lends the couscous a distinctive, nutty flavor and particularly satisfying mouth-feel, and it also seals in the starch and reinforces the exterior, allowing the pearls to absorb liquid without falling apart. This is why Israeli couscous is ideal for saucy preparations whatever the sauce or reduction, the couscous absorbs the flavor beautifully, and the sauce sticks well to every tiny pearl. - from Adventures in Israeli Couscous
Last night I made the healthy decision to forgo making vegan mexican hot chocolate cookies (though, let’s face it…I’ll still be making them in the coming days at some point!) and instead opted for a simple and healthy couscous dish to split up into lunches to freeze. If you’ve never tried Israeli couscous you really do need to. Its got more texture and body than normal couscous and a nuttier flavor than regular pasta. It makes fabulous cold salads for the next bbq and its perfect for a hot dinner.
Israeli Couscous with Broccoli & Toasted Pine Nuts
Printer-Friendly Recipe Here
Ingredients –
- 2 cups uncooked Israeli couscous
- 2.5 cups water
- Veggie Broth (You can use whatever broth you’d like here. I chose Better than Bouillon’s vegetable broth to keep my dish vegan – I used 2.5 teaspoons.)
- 3 cups lightly steamed broccoli spears
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
Directions –
1. The first step is to lightly toast your couscous and pine nuts. While Israeli couscous is already toasted (see above) you can bring out even more flavor by toasting it in a dry pan over medium heat. I choose a dry pan to cut down on fat but this means you need to watch it carefully and stir often to ensure it doesn’t burn. Once couscous is a light golden brown, set it aside and place the pine nuts in the dry pan. Toast the pine nuts in the same fashion being sure to stir it often. Remove from heat.
2. Boil water in a medium-sized pot and dissolve bouillon in it. Add the couscous, cover, and turn down heat to a simmer. Cook couscous for 8-10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. (Note: this couscous taste best when cooked to al dente rather than too soft.)
3. Add broccoli and toasted pine nuts. The broth gives this dish plenty of flavor but you could also add some sauteed onions or a variety of spices. I added chili pepper because…well…I add it to everything. 
I had some very dear friends stay at my place this weekend. There were trips to the doggy beach, multiple Mexian-eating outings, gobs of walking in downtown Chitown, and of course….some cooking on my part. They were arriving around dinner time on Friday evening so I wanted to have some ready for right when they got there. I dug out my Veganomicon book and their Snobby Joes immediately jumped out at me. First of all, I LOVE lentils and chili powder. Second of all, pretty much everyone like sloppy joes. And finally, it was something I could make ahead and easily reheat quickly once my guests arrived.
They were not the greatest meal I’ve ever created, but they were filling and tasty. I served them with simple sides of steam broccoli and sweet potato fries. NOTE: If you don’t like heat, you should cut down on the chili powder. It packs quite the punch….
And sorry, no picture yet!
Snobby Joes
Adapted from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
Ingredients –
- 1 cup uncooked lentils
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 1 green pepper, diced small
- 1 large carrot, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (wet mustard)
- 4 to 6 kaiser rolls
Directions -
1. Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
2. About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.
3. Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.
4. Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can’t wait. I like to serve these open faced, with a scoop of snobby joe on each slice of the bun.
We all know I have fallen hopelessly in love with tempeh. I may have said that Honey Cardamon Chicken could keep me from being vegetarian, but now I simply desire to make Honey Cardamon Tempeh instead….mmmmmmmmm.
This time I tried out LightLife’s Organic Wild Rice Tempeh. I didn’t notice a huge difference from the 3 grain variety, but that simply means it was delicious, too. I steamed the tempeh this time which also meant it took on more of the flavors of the other ingredients which could be why I didn’t notice the rice so much.
I used a Lite style of coconut milk and it worked well in this dish. (However, my truffles would not set with it since it was not heavy like normal creamy coconut milk is. *sigh* So, I had to whip up lemon bars instead….) The flavors work really well in this dish and it was very easy to prepare. I like Clean Food the more I cook out of it and this recipe is certainly a Make-Again.
I finally took a nice picture!
Tempeh with Coconut Milk and Snow Peas
adapted from Terry Walters’ Clean Food
Ingredients –
- 8oz package of tempeh
- 1-2 cups snow peas (I love snow peas so I used a lot)
- 2 tablespoons clean tasting oil (like grapeseed)
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger…depending on personal preference)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (always have a book of these on hand…they taste great in everything)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine…you can find it at health food stores like Whole Foods)
Directions –
1. Cut tempeh into chunks/pieces and steam 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Trim snow peas and place in a bowl. Bring 2 cups water to a boil, pour over peas. Leave for 4 minutes and then drain. Rinse peas with cool water and set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute garlic and ginger in oil until soft (about 2 minutes). Add tempeh, raisins, coconut milk, tamari, syrup and mirin and cook 5 minutes or until tempeh starts to brown. Add water as needed to deglaze the pan. Add snow peas and cook 2 minutes longer.
4. Remove from heat and serve over choice of grains. (I served mine over this brown rice.)
